No one should consider a twenty-ounce chocolate-flavored drink with no nutritional value as anything but an occasional treat. Of course, in this country we have the freedom to make poor choices.

]]>By: ~[;>|http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526605
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:13:55 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526605Starbucks’ economic woes can be partly traced to its refusal to make available products for which a significant&needy market exists.

Such non-recognition of a broad demand, is the sort of practice that has underwritten many a ruined business, even before the dawn of plain unsweetened soymilk; fairtrade organic coffee; free, secure&platform neutral wireless; or whatnot.

]]>By: Citimamahttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526593
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:52:04 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526593Agreed, Anonnie Muss, #10– providing information is not the same as disapproval. People who think that the calorie counts posted on the menu qualify as someone tsk-ing at them suffer from what in psychological terms is called ‘externally located conscience’– the standards by which they govern themselves are imposed from outside rather than internalized. This is developmentally appropriate moral reasoning for a preschooler but not for an adult. Getting mad at the people who thought you’d like to make an informed decision about the calorie bomb of a “snack” you’re about to ingest at sbux is, quite literally, the moral behavior of a three year old. Adults use this shoot-the-messenger defense when they know better but prefer not to listen to what their conscience is telling them. Own your decision to have a treat, or own your understanding that today maybe you should order something skim and skip the slab of pound cake. Or, when neither of those suits, do what I do sometimes and just don’t look at the calorie counts. And then I own the fact that my jeans are a little snug…
]]>By: tRuthhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526589
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:48:29 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526589The daily recommended caloric intake is inaccurately overestimated for most urban adults.
]]>By: Michael G. Kaplanhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526529
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:38:45 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526529Posting calorie counts will not have any substantive impact on the obesity epidemic. If anything it will just reinforce the popular misconception that how much we eat and our subsequent weight is under willful control.

Each person has a surprisingly small range in which they can modulate their weight. We need more basic science research so that hopefully one day we can discover the unknown underlying pathologic process that is causing the obesity epidemic.

]]>By: anonhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526527
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:37:53 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526527I agree bans are paternalistic, but calorie counts aren’t. As someone who’s working on weight loss for my health (lost 30 so far from my heaviest), I like having calorie counts available. Most mornings I will have either oatmeal or fresh fruit or yogurt for breakfast. Once a week, I like to splurge and get the type of foods I used to eat almost daily (bagels, rolls, scones). A few months back, I was trying to decide if I wanted a bagel or a scone and the calorie count posted swayed me towards the bagel, because the scone was about 300 more calories. Now, if I really, really wanted the scone, I would have gone for it. But since I was undecided, the calorie info influenced my decision.

And while some of the information is pretty obvious, sometimes it isn’t. I generally try to avoid fast food spots like McDonald’s, Wendy’s & Burger King. But if I have no other choice (say in an airport with limited food places), I sometimes eat at those places. Now, if I order a burger and fries, I know I’m consuming a substantial amount of calories. But even salads can vary greatly. For example, when I’m stuck with a fast food option, I’ll order the chicken/orange salad at Wendy’s. Skipping the crunchy noodles and substituting a low fat/fat free sesame dressing can save about 200 calories, if I’m remembering my calculations correctly.

Now for the average person 200 or 300 calories here & there may not mean that much. But for those of us who need to lose weight for health reasons, it can make a difference. Multiply that by 7 days. That would be 1,400-2,100 calories a week. If we can cut down our calorie consumption by that amount and exercise, we might see a change in the scale or inches in our waist.

Sure, we can look it up on the internet, but web access isn’t always handy. I don’t see what harm it does to have the information out there. Those of you who don’t have to worry about it can just ignore the calorie count info. I’m not allergic to nuts, so I don’t need that info on food labels. I just disregard it. But it’s vital to the health of the folks who are allergic to nuts. If you don’t have a weight problem and the calorie count bothers you that much perhaps you need to rethink your own relationship with food.

]]>By: biancohttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526505
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:17:19 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526505I like a cup of joe….
]]>By: Alanhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526491
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:09:44 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526491I don’t eat based on the number of calories in something…I eat or drink something because it tastes good. I’m smart enough to know that something high in sugar or fat is something I should only have once in awhile. Go ahead and post the number of calories in these things, just allow me to have them when I want!
]]>By: lumihttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526461
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:43:23 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526461I like the calorie counts, it helps me make a better informed decision about what I am going to eat or drink. Some people will pay attention to them, some people won’t. A little information never killed anyone.
]]>By: Amyhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526455
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:33:29 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526455masayaNYC and Ruth: You are both right. Calorie counts can in fact be a useful tool in educating consumers as to what in fact is healthy. People to need this evidence to make the association between “contains chocolate and cream” and “will make you fat”. I personally don’t like the calorie counts, but I will concede that they are not nearly as paternalistic as the other proposed measures.

Calorie counts, however, will only take us so far. People still need the education to understand not only how caloric a Frappuccino is, but its nutritional value relative to other foods with the same amount of calories.

]]>By: Anonnie Musshttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526451
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:30:10 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526451I cannot understand the thinking of people who complain that having calorie counts posted is akin to “Food Police silently tisk-ing at me” — it’s great if you know how incredibly high in calories these drinks are, but many people don’t, and why shouldn’t the information be available to them? To say that merely having the information posted is “tisk-ing” is absurd — it’s a sign, not a person giving you dirty looks. If you walk past a section of diet books in the bookstore do you also feel they are “tisk-ing” you?
]]>By: central squaredhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526429
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:20:02 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526429I also think that people need to know what their daily calorie intake should be. Knowing that a single drink may have 500 calories means nothing to somebody if they don’t know that they should be taking in roughly 2000 calories per day.

In pure coffee terms, I began drinking the crazy starbucks sugary drinks but now do shots of espresso or a basic latte (with skim). Over time the sugary stuff just is too much, I feel like my tastes became more refined. The flip side of that is I’m much more discriminating in what is good and bad espresso…

]]>By: Simon Tsuihttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526427
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:19:10 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526427Posting the calorie count won’t affect my decision to buy more Starbucks frappucinos.
]]>By: masayaNYChttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/comment-page-1/#comment-526421
Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:02:44 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/that-venti-frappuccino-will-go-right-to-your-waist/#comment-526421If we put half as much effort into sensible nutrition education as we do into debating calorie counts, trans fat bans and other paternalistic measures, we would all be much healthier and happier. –Amy

While it’s valid to qualify bans as a paternalistic measure, it’s totally inaccurate to put calorie count posting in the same boat. If you’re arguing it’s paternalistic towards businesses, so is every regulation, so that’s a red herring. Anyway, this post indicates education’s the best preventive step; I’d guess the advocates of calorie count postings whole-heartedly agree, as would viewers of this blog (education comes in many forms).

As a chronically skinny dude, I whole-heartedly endorse calorie counts on menus. I’m not being ironic when I say I refer to them so I can bump up my calorie intake in orders. I know others like me, as well.